Broadway Has Zaks Appeal With Three Hits For Jerry’s Shows

Multiple shows running simultaneously on Broadway might be par for the course for the likes of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, producer Scott Rudin and playwright Neil Simon, but it’s less common for directors. Jerry Zaks joined that exclusive club with last week’s opening of Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower, which earned great reviews for the director and for star Amy Schumer (the rest were mostly of the mixed-bag sort, though not here).

The five-star comedy general also has the Bette Midler-led smash revival of Hello, Dolly! and A Bronx Tale: The Musical, which has emerged a certifiable hit despite notta-lotta-love critics-wise. Last week, Zaks’ shows grossed $4.15 million, 3 percent of which is a Broadway melody, especially for a guy who got his start in Tintypes, you could look it up.

In other news, the Street had the typical comedown from its Thanksgiving euphoria, with grosses returning to their pre-turkey day norms and only a few shows posting improvements. One was Beautiful, at the Roundabout Theatre Company’s Stephen Sondheim, up $113K to $1 million, with tickets averaging $128.46. Lincoln Center Theater’s Junk, at the Vivian Beaumont, was up $20K to $481K, average price $80.26. The Clive Owen-led M. Butterfly revival at the Shubert Organization’s Cort gained $27.9K to hit $410K, average ticket $90. The Boss took the week off; Springsteen on Broadway returns tomorrow.

The five top-grossing musicals were:

• Hamilton ($2.84 million at the Nederlander Organization’s Richard Rodgers; $264.33 average ticket)

• Hello, Dolly! ($2.48 million at the Shubert; $217.59)

• The Lion King ($2.09 million at the Nederlanders’ Minskoff; $154.16)

• Wicked ($1.82 million at the Nederlanders’ Gershwin; $134.58)

• Dear Evan Hansen ($1.75 million at the Shuberts’ Music Box; $219.82)

The five top-grossing plays were:

• Meteor Shower ($870.7K for six performances at the Shuberts’ Booth; $140.80 average ticket)

• Latin History For Morons ($457.4K for seven performances at the Roundabout’s Studio 54; $91.84)

• M. Butterfly ($410K at the Shuberts’ Cort; $90 )

Ticket sales for 30 shows during Week 28 of the 2017-18 Broadway season totaled $30 million, down $9 million, or 23 percent, according to the trade group Broadway League. Attendance fell 8 percent, to 242,528, and the average ticket price dropped to $123.63 from $147.50.